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CityCyclingEdinburgh was launched on the 27th of October 2009 as "an experiment".

It soon became useful and entertaining. There are regular posters, people who add useful info occasionally and plenty more who drop by to watch.
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I do find that the crossing at the top of MMW can cause issues, although I usually manage to slot into traffic coming from Teviot Place without much trouble, despite the fact that I immediately signal right and move into the right-hand lane to turn right at the Bedlam Theatre. What really doesn't help is the vehicles parked on both sides of the road especially towards the end of the day. On one occasion a taxi driver seemingly tried to ram me as I filtered in from the crossing in very slow traffic casued by parked vehicles.

@jdanielp - yeah I also often go right at the end and usually it's fine with good signalling and shoulder-checks etc but the times I've had real problems were (I'm fairly sure) when cars coming from Teviot Place thought I was jumping a red a light and should be punished - just as in this case…. interesting to have this exact suspicion documented...

The expectation that the junction appears to be designed around is that any cyclists coming up from MMW will then be heading straight along Forrest Road on the cycle lane - the only conflict resulting from that assumption would be for cyclists from MMW and cyclists from Teviot Place. Obviously the practicalities are far different though. A complete ban on parking/loading on the bicycle lane (and the other side of the road for good measure) would help, but a complete redesign of the junction may be better...

Yes. Should be a bus and bike lane only and other traffic can go round the long way. Delivery trucks would still need access though but with less traffic then one side could be for that. This falls into line with making bike and pedestrian routes shorter and more pleasant. To meet any mass use of bikes in the city this would have to be done as current route is quite unpleasant as noted here.

I feel I have no 'right' to expect cars to give me space as I merge and have had a driving instructor argue that I was breaking the law - created by this unique layout. I don't think you'l find any other merged bike lane of this type in city.

Like 99% of merged toucan crossings the average driver just regards you as a pavement cyclist cheekily trying to gain advantage. Add to this the random way people walk over the bike lane on conflict island and they just 'know' you are in the wrong....

I complained to the Council about this junction last March but never received a reply. I suspect that the council expects the bikes to use the cycle lane here but I never do, partly due to parked cars/vans and partly as I will be turning right onto Chambers Street and I feel that being in primary makes this safer.

I personally think that the rules on changing lanes apply here so that cars wishing to move from the right lane to the left should do the whole mirror, signal, manoeuvre thing and then change if the lane is clear. However, it's easier to try to time it to slot in with the traffic coming from Teviot Place.

@davidsondave - what address to you send your complaint to by the way? I have previously complained by filling in the web form, but I'll do it again and send this video as the driver has unwittingly provided evidence for the need for a safer option for cyclists….

@algo It was through Clarence (via FixMyStreet https://www.fixmystreet.com/report/453231) so probably over-optimistic on my part thinking they would read it. Although, saying that, this method has started correspondence over other issues I have raised with them.

That's what I thought. Of course this would not be so 'nice' for Hotel du Vin!

Then again lots of businesses seem to like having the 'amenity' of car accessible streets.

I see a small amount of slow cyclists riding the pavement on Forrest Rd towards MMW as they don't 'like' the central bike lane on Bristo Place (who does?). A greener Forrest Road would be fantastic but can only happen with less traffic / more public transport priority.
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Nice to see most being perfectly reasonable on the discussion underneath (and that the title of the vid got changed) - all too often these things turn into name calling on YouTube. Added my thruppenny bit's worth (lots of suggestions of a roundabout, which is great for those on the road, but, erm, not so good for pedestrians...)

With regards how important the Bristo Place/ Forrest Road question really is...

If you had a 7 year old son or daughter and wanted to cycle with them from south of Meadows to Chambers St Museum or the Children's Library at the moment you might well tell them to get off and walk their bike at the top of MMW.

If they built the Forrest Road two way cycle lane (As Spokes have suggested) then they could enjoy another 100 yards of cycling! Then walk. (Depending on time of day / status of bus lane).
As you head towards the city centre the choices become harder. It all counts though as MMW is a main loading ramp for bikes into town.

New PoP leaflets have got another superb Kaputnik illustration with a neat quote about 'great cities' on the back. For most families PoP will be the only time they will head off the top of MMW into town on a bike.

@chdot Is this sort of thing more important than (for instance) extending 'family network' or signing (to) existing paths better?

The problem is that scaring families off their bikes means that the family network isn't used, except perhaps to drive to the nearest offroad track.

Unfortunately a network is required, and subjective safety is required, and at the moment we have neither, although I acknowledge that the family network is being slowly joined up. That (eventually) will make it a network, but it will fail after the final scare.

For some, that scare will come earlier than others - perhaps even as they think about getting on a bike, having observed the road conditions, others will last a while, and still others (us!) persist despite periodic scares.